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WASHINGTON, DC - May 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Business Solutions, a subsidiary of the American Bankers Association, and Freddie Mac today announced plans to help community banks compete in the purchase money mortgage market and help fuel the nation's housing recovery by extending their 9-year old alliance.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - May 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Kirk H. Kirby, 40, of Capital Heights, Maryland, and Sholonda Y. Johnson, 39, of Philadelphia, were sentenced today to 60 months and 30 months in prison, respectively, in connection with a real estate investment scheme, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Kirby and Johnson pleaded guilty to three counts each of wire fraud in connection with a real estate investment scheme that caused millions of dollars in losses to lenders. Kirby owned and operated Invictus Financial Group ("IFG"), located in Havertown, PA. Johnson was a loan officer at various mortgage brokerage companies.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- PCCP, LLC has announced that it has partnered with Principal Real Estate Investors, the fourth largest institutional real estate manager in the United States, to acquire a 253,769 square foot class A office building located at 705 5th Avenue South in Seattle. The property is located within the Pioneer Square submarket, which is situated just south of the Seattle CBD, and is 98 percent vacant. The joint venture acquired the property from a private owner in an off market transaction.

May 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Former Treasure Valley residents Shane M. Hymas and Laurie Kreschelle Hymas, both age 32, now of American Fork, Utah, were sentenced today in district court in Boise for bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson.

SACRAMENTO, CA - May 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that United States District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. sentenced Ralondria Stafford, 37, of San Francisco, and Necole Ward, 32, of Las Vegas, (both formerly of Vallejo, Calif.) for their roles in a mortgage fraud scheme carried out in Vallejo between 2005 and 2006. Judge England sentenced Stafford to 21 months in prison and Ward to 12 months and a day in prison. The prison sentences are to be followed by three years of supervised release and both defendants were ordered to pay $200,000 in restitution. Stafford and Ward pleaded guilty on June 10, 2010.

LOS ANGELES, CA - May 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced she has subpoenaed Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS), as part of her continuing probe into "robosigning" of mortgage documents and other illegal activities in the mortgage servicing industry, especially misconduct affecting borrowers facing, or in the midst of, foreclosure

WASHINGTON, DC - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department today announced settlements with two lenders under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to resolve allegations that the lenders wrongfully foreclosed upon active duty servicemembers without first obtaining court orders, in violation of the SCRA. Combined, the settlements provide more than $22 million in monetary relief for the victims

NEW YORK, N.Y. - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates dropped again, with the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate falling to 4.77 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.4 discount and origination points.

Washington, DC - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Realtors® supports a secondary mortgage market model with some level of government participation that would protect taxpayers and ensure that creditworthy consumers have access to affordable mortgage capital in all markets at all times.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that special disaster assistance may be available to Veterans with VA-guaranteed home loans who have been affected by recent tornados in Missouri.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With some members of Congress actively pushing to abolish Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and end the federal backstop for housing, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) told Congress today that maintaining an appropriate level of government support is absolutely essential to preserve financial stability.

PLEASANTON, CA - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ellie Mae®(NYSE Amex:ELLI), the provider of software and automation solutions for mortgage bankers, community banks, credit unions and other mortgage lenders, announced today that it has launched the Total Quality Loan (TQL) program, a new initiative to promote total loan quality for loans originated through Encompass360® Mortgage Management Solution. This program builds upon the company's strategy to provide a comprehensive mortgage solution that extends beyond standard loan origination functions by offering supplemental services that enhance loan quality and compliance, and help reduce many of the major risks throughout the mortgage cycle.

AUSTIN, TX - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Vacation homes aren’t just for rest and relaxation; they are also a satisfying, moneymaking venture for many owners. HomeAway, Inc. – the world’s leading online vacation rental marketplace – finds in its latest “HomeAway Vacation Rental Marketplace Report” that 81 percent of vacation home owners who rent their homes to travelers are satisfied with the overall experience.

Washington, DC - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), a senior member of the Financial Services Committee and a leading champion for homeowners, delivered the following remarks today during a Subcommittee on Housing, Insurance, and Community Opportunity Hearing on “Legislative Proposals to Determine the Future Role of FHA, RHS and GNMA in the Single-and Multi-Family Mortgage Markets.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 25, 2011) — Mortgage applications increased 1.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 20, 2011.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Earlier today in federal court in St. Paul, a jury convicted a 44-year-old Burnsville man of conspiring with others to bilk mortgage lenders out of more than $43 million. Following a six-day trial, the jury found Troy David Chaika guilty on seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. Chaika was indicted on April 12, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michael D. Berman, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association, testified today before the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity at a hearing entitled "Legislative Proposals to Determine the Future Role of FHA, RHS and GNMA in the Single-and Multi-Family Mortgage Markets."

WASHINGTON, DC - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- HUD’s failure to keep pace with the volume of multifamily mortgage applications is exacerbating the nation’s shortage of workforce housing, jeopardizing the thousands of jobs created by new apartment construction and reducing the new revenues the program could be generating for the federal government.

PITTSBURGH, PA - May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A resident of Richland Township, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to 27 months in prison and two years of supervised release on his conviction of wire fraud conspiracy, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

LOS ANGELES, CA - May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the creation of the California Attorney General's Mortgage Fraud Strike Force, staffed by Department of Justice attorneys and investigators charged with protecting innocent homeowners and bringing to justice those who defraud them.